In the prior art document EP 1 031 490 A1 there is described a baby carriage which includes a seat element on a base frame comprising a seat part and a backrest part. It is possible to put a carrycot on the base frame and to fix it on the base frame by mounting parts. The seat part and the backrest part essentially consist of a skin of fabric, the fixing of which is effected by push buttons. The backrest part can be brought into a horizontal plane and the carrycot can be put down onto this plane. To fix said carrycot ribbons are used, which are wound around lateral bars of the base frame and are fastened with knots. This kind of baby carriage has a number of disadvantages. Firstly the mounting of the seat part on the base frame is somewhat cumbersome. The fixing of the carrycot on the base frame is not safe. In its standard seat configuration the baby carriage can only be used to accommodate a baby in sitting or lying position, whereas the carrycot is a separate element, which has to be stored and carried along separately and requires storing space, especially as it cannot be folded. The infant seat cannot be used as a separate seat unit apart from the base frame, carrying a baby therein for example for separate use of the seat in a car or the like.
From the prior art document EP 1 640 240 A2 it is known to design an infant seat in such a way that it can be transformed from a carry configuration, in which the baby lies in a flat position on the bottom of the seat, into a seat configuration, in which some parts of the bottom form an angle with each other, so it is possible to receive an infant in the seat in a sitting position. Thereby the frame of this infant seat is adjustable in such a way that upper parts and lower parts of the frame lie close to each other forming a flat frame, whereas in a carry configuration a higher receptacle for a baby in lying position is formed. The mechanism to transform the infant seat from the seat configuration into the carrycot configuration comprises a strap which is pulled in order to move hinged cross bars of the frame along a slide. The upper frame is coupled to the lower frame via cross struts. The mechanism to transform the infant seat from the carry configuration back to the seat configuration is not very comfortable and includes the risk for the user to pinch the fingers between the struts or the bars of the frame. It is not apparent how the carry cot or the seat is carried apart from the baby carriage. The receptacle which forms the carrycot is partly open on the sides.
Furthermore both above-mentioned solutions known from the prior art describe infant seats, which do not comply with today's requirements concerning a modern and elegant design and the current safety provisions.
The object of the present invention is to provide an infant seat of the above-mentioned kind, which represents a safe and comfortable seat for the child in the seat configuration, which also can be transported in a comfortable manner and wherein the infant can be carried in a secure manner in a lying position as well, when the infant seat has been converted to the carry configuration.